Big missed steak: check out these vegan cowboy sneakers

Belgian designer Mats Rombaut heads to the Wild West for his new sneakers

Vegan cowboy sneakers are perhaps the biggest suprise of the season. Thought up by Belgian designer Mats Rombaut for his label Rombaut, the hybrid shoes are proving popular with trendsetters. i-D reports that Rombaut is an “unhealthy vegan” who champions the freewheeling appeal of a cowboy life. He makes shoes that side-step vegan stereotypes, and are ideal for turning out on the town while still being entirely free of animal products. Instead of leather, he uses alternatives including tree bark and synthetic substitutes.

The Boccaccio Cowboy Sneaker is a hit hybrid design. The piece is half Boccaccio sneaker, half wagon wheel, and the result wouldn’t look out of place on the set of ‘Butch Cassidy’. Rombaut told i-D the idea came from making something “uncomfortable to look at”.